Nordic Mountain on the Small Snowsports School Scholarship
Kyle Wilson, snow school director at Nordic Mountain in Rose, Wisconsin, has high praise for the benefits of the Small Snowsports School Scholarship his area received last winter, saying it helped him certify seven Level I instructors and raise interest in teaching snowsports.
“The money awarded to us had a very high impact on our staff,” Kyle said. “These educational opportunities significantly boost engagement and ambition in the industry. They have sparked more and more interest amongst my staff.”
The scholarship provides small snowsports schools across the country, who are PSIA-AASI Member Schools, with access to educational events and education leaders, such as PSIA-AASI National Team members, who provide experiences that may be career-changing.
Small schools are training the future leaders of our industry to make the commitment to educate guests about skiing and snowboarding. Scholarship recipients may receive up to $2,000 for an education plan (prep clinics, education resources, assessments) and additional travel expenses for PSIA-AASI clinicians that visit the PSIA-AASI Member School.
“When we were selected for the scholarship it blew me away,” Kyle said. “I did not expect to receive so much support, but I am so thankful for it. At the beginning of the season we had eight instructors interested in knowing more about the PSIA-AASI, and the certification process. By the end of the season, 16 new individuals are interested after hearing about the experience from their peers. The money we were awarded lit a flame among our staff. I expect that passion and involvement to continue to grow each year.”
Because of the scholarship, Kyle said Nordic Mountain was able to certify seven more level one staff, increasing their number of certified instructors from three to twenty. He shared the clinic leader, Lyndsay Ward, did an outstanding job.
“All of our new Level Is reported a significant increase in motivation and excitement from their preparation testing experience,” Kyle said. “We were also able to hold a clinic on two separate days which 80 percent of our staff were able to attend. This full day clinic focused on child development, engagement, and effective prop usage.”
Kyle said his long-term plan is to keep supporting Nordic’s more experienced staff to achieve their goals while also creating more interest and opportunity for our new batch of Level I instructors each year.
“We are excited to further strengthen our culture of developing meaningful connections and delivering life changing experiences to our guests,” Kyle said.
